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Book in minutes at vaccassist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. It's 505 and welcome in to a Wednesday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour on Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM WBT. I'm Nick Craig. Good morning to you.
A safety crackdown referred to as Operation Safe Drive removed almost 2,000 unqualified drivers and vehicles from roads and highways across the country in the month of January. The state of North Carolina was included in this federal crackdown. In total, this included a three-day effort led by the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, checking in on driver qualifications, identified unsafe vehicles, and removed improper licenses. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation and officials there, inspectors completed over 8,000 inspections during the Operation Safe Drive.
Hundreds of drivers and just over 1,200 vehicles were taken off of the road because of a litany of violations. Additionally, dozens of arrests were made across the country as the operation took place January the 13th, 14th, and 15th across 26 states and the District of Columbia. The DOT targeted main truck routes and used data and statistics to really target those which had higher car accident risks and numbers. North Carolina was one of the states involved in the operations.
However, state numbers regarding arrests and removal of licenses have not yet been released or published by the Federal Department of Transportation. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has not publicly issued a statement on Operation State Drive.
So not immediately clear what exactly those numbers look like here in North Carolina.
However, one thing we do know for sure is that this operation did occur and is occurring when North Carolina is already facing some concerns and questions on how commercial driver's licenses Were issued illegally. A federal audit in the last couple of weeks found that about 54% of certain non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses, CDLs, which are what you need to drive big rigs and 18-wheelers, did not meet federal requirements. This is according to a preliminary determination of non-compliance letter sent to Democrat Governor Josh Stein. With federal officials warning, North Carolina has to fix the issues or risk losing upwards of $50 million in funding, with Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calling the reports and findings here in North Carolina, quote, dangerous. Licensing standards and safety are strictly regulated due to commercial trucks weighing upwards of 80,000 pounds when fully loaded.
Small mistakes in issuing commercial driver's licenses can raise concerns about truckers' qualifications as well as public safety. on highways and roads.
Some members of North Carolina's congressional delegation have continually been raising alarms about licensing issues and have continued to call for stronger oversight and accordance with federal law. United States Representative Pat Harrigan, he is the Republican out of North Carolina's 10th congressional district, said that the results of the operation highlight why stricter enforcement is needed. He recently told the Carolina Journal: when inspectors pull nearly 2,000 unqualified drivers and unsafe vehicles off the roads in three days, they found nearly 500 drivers who couldn't pass a basic English proficiency test, over 700 drivers with serious safety violations, and more than 1,200 unsafe vehicles that had no business being on the highway. Here's a crazy stat from Pat Harrigan. 56 of the arrests included DUIs and illegal presences in the United States.
Big rigs, 800. 80,000 pounds worth of cargo when fully loaded and individuals driving while under the influence. The congressman added, I think about my wife driving our girls to school and the fact that she's sharing the road with drivers who can't read warning signs, trucks that are mechanically unsafe, and people who are intoxicated or here illegally behind the wheels of an 80,000-pound vehicle. Harrigan argued that not only is the issue about enforcement, but prevention. Pointing to safety concerns for families that share the road with these commercial trucks, Harrigan promoted his Safe Drivers Act to strengthen standards before issuing licenses.
Looking at some other federal data, Federal Administrator Derek Barrs has also stated some of his concerns, saying, quote, when drivers ignore the rules, operate without proper qualifications, or get behind the wheel impaired, they put all of our lives at risk. He added that enforcement of laws as well as partnerships within departments will help remove unsafe and unqualified drivers from the roads. Proponents say initiatives like Operation Safe Drive are meant to be a message and signal to drivers and corporations that safety rules should be prioritized and enforced. Increasing inspections and traffic stops can help identify problems before they lead to crashes, according to those officials, as well as encouraging truckers and corporations to comply with all federal and state mandates. Officials say efforts like these are meant to protect both drivers and the American people.
Again, it is not still certain how many of the drivers or vehicles were removed here in North Carolina by this operation, as state departments and agencies have not yet released any of those totals. More information will be available as Operation Safe Drive data is finalized and made public in the coming weeks. as uh any more of that relevant information comes forward. We will, of course, bring it to you here on the Carolina Journal News Hour and pass it along to you over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. In some other statewide news this morning, K through 12 mathematics standards in North Carolina are slated to get a major overhaul under a proposal presented to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee in Raleigh this week.
The revised standards are designed to better align student learning with workforce needs, according to state officials. Dr. Christy Day, who is the director of the Office of Teaching and Learning at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, or DPI, told lawmakers, quote, Academic standards matter only when they translate into high-quality classroom experiences and meaningful learning experiences for students. this phrase signals a shift from viewing the standards as just an adopt document into seeing them as a driver for day to day teaching and learning. One of the most significant proposals changes that one of the most significant proposals is to change high school math pathways.
While maintaining the existing four credit graduation requirement, the revised standards would shift from three required courses and one elective to two required courses and two electives, with North Carolina Math 1 and Math 2 continuingly being mandated for all students, but learners could choose two elective courses that would align with their post-secondary plans. The impetus for this revision, according to Day, is largely driven by evolving workforce demands, telling the committee data science is huge right now in the workforce. citing feedback from business leaders who require students proficient in handling large amounts of data. The revised standards also seek to offer a wider variation of mathematical pathways for students with Day telling the committee we know that math is needed for a nurse is much different than math that is needed for an engineer. The revision process comes amidst some encouraging trends in student performance.
Department of Public Instruction data indicates consistent improvement in college and career readiness levels and grade level proficiency in third through eighth grade math from 2020 to 2025. High school end of year course performance also showed some positive movement as well as the National Assessment of Educational Progress scores for both fourth and eighth graders saw increases between 2022 and 2024. DPI plans to release a second draft of the revised standards coming up in a couple months in April, with a final draft going before the North Carolina Board of Education for action sometime in the summer of this year. A two-year installation phase is slated for the 26-27 and 27-28 school years, involving extensive communication, professional learning, as well as supported documentation for development within individual school districts. Full implementation across all K-12 classrooms is tentatively scheduled for the 28-29 school year, coinciding with the alignment of state assessments to those new standards.
During the committee meeting, some members expressed a desire for more in-depth discussion. Representative Hugh Blackwell, the Republican from Burke County, questioned the necessity of reworking the math standards and what specific deficiencies in the standards were being corrected. While Senator Robinson, the Democrat from Guilford County, requested more time for the committee to delve into the proposed changes. All these revisions and many others that we've talked about are all part of the state superintendent of public instruction, Mo Green's five-year strategic plan for schools. We will continue to follow this as we get through the middle and latter parts of this year.
You can read some additional coverage and details this morning by visiting our website, CarolinaJournal.com. The story's headline: DPI set to update math standards to meet workforce demands. Uh You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it. But your immune system, it weakens as you age.
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It's 522. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour. Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9, WBT, and some other statewide news. This morning, state officials briefed North Carolina lawmakers on broadband expansion, cybersecurity preparedness, artificial intelligence as it relates to governance, and state technology procurement processes during a February meeting of the Joint Legislative Committee on Information Technology. This non-standing committee convened under authority granted in state law and session statutes, and it met to review work underway at the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, as well as some of the other related agencies.
The panel was co-chaired by Representative Matthew Winslow, the Republican from Franklin, alongside Senator Ralph Heiss, the Republican from Mitchell, and Representative Jake Johnson, the Republican from Polk County. State Chief Information Officer and NCDIT Secretary Tina Pacino told lawmakers that the agency's mission centers on providing, quote, secure, reliable and modern technology, supporting residents, businesses and government services statewide. She said that the department's work spans connectivity, cyber security, artificial intelligence, procurement, and infrastructure, telling the committee technology underpins everything we do. Noting its influence on things like healthcare access, business competitiveness, emergency response operations, all with a foundationary role in daily life. Deputy Secretary of Broadband and Digital Opportunities Annette Taylor outlined funding streams supporting statewide connectivity projects, including more than a billion dollars that was appropriated from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, as you may have heard it before, and $1.53 billion allocated through the federal Broadband Equality Access and Development Program, known as BEAD.
That is administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. State programs supported by those funds include the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology Grant Initiative, as well as the Completing Access to Broadband program, which together have contracted hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure. To connect more than 250,000 homes and businesses with high-speed broadband access across North Carolina. Additional efforts such as stopgap, last mile projects, pole replacement initiatives, and others aim to address gaps and storm-related damage with multiple applications under review and contracting remaining underway. Officials said that projects funded through the ARPA program, which again comes from the federal government, are scheduled for construction and expedited completion by the end of 2026 when many of those federal dollars have to be completely expensed.
Committee members also heard updates on AI policy and workforce training initiatives, including the creation of the AI Leadership Council. That group is set to be tasked with setting statewide visions and goals ahead of a report that is due June 30th of this year. The council includes government, business, and academic representatives working through subcommittees focused on workforce development, innovation, governance, and technical infrastructure. State officials highlighted their ambitions to build what they described as an AI-fluent workforce, targeting tens of thousands of generative AI certifications and role-specific training across agencies. along with broader literacy and change management efforts.
They also outlined government frameworks emphasizing transparency, accountability, and explainability in algorithmic systems. This is all coupled with oversight committees spanning multiple departments. With that, an AI accelerator initiative has drawn project proposals from dozens of agencies, with some already active and saving staff time through automation and digital services. Officials frame the efforts as part of a mission to deliver fast public services while maintaining security as well as providing ethical guardrails. Discussion of regulation sandbox initiatives also touched on legislative limitations when emerging technologies lack existing regulatory framework, which we have heard a lot about as it relates to AI in the last couple of years.
Presenters said that waivers currently required by statute may constrain some of the experimentation when no applicable rules exist, prompting consideration of potential changes that balance consumer protections with the ability to still innovate. Legislators also asked whether agency legislation recommendations were forthcoming, with various presenters indicating that draft proposals were in development for the short session.
So I would say in all likelihood, we will probably see some sort of technology-related legislation in this short session, probably with a pretty heavy emphasis on AI. One of the concerns with the technology, of course, is cybersecurity, with the state officials warning lawmakers about shifting the shifting threat landscape fueled by geopolitical actors, ransomware, and vulnerabilities tied to expanding cloud and data systems. North Carolina's military installment. Research hubs, ports, and energy infrastructure create potential targets for things like espionage and disruptions. Consequences of major breaches could include things like service outages and reduced public trust in digital systems.
When you boil all of that down, it could majorly affect economic growth and government operations here in North Carolina. Mitigation steps include vulnerability management, identity control, as well as collaborative response planning, as well as initiatives such as statewide web application firewall deployment and expanded cybersecurity training and internships. Strategic planning has also produced incident response exercises with government boards and the adoption of security benchmarking tools, which are all intended to strengthen the resiliency and oversight within digital systems here in North Carolina. North Carolina DIT Department of Information Technology officials also detailed ongoing reforms to modernize information technology procurement processes. Updated the updates include earlier legal review, integrated sourcing workflows, standardized templates and automated contract routing with changes designed to reduce duplication as well as improve compliance and visibility.
Some data that was presented to lawmakers showed shortened procurement timelines across multiple categories between 2024 and 2025 with requests for proposals reduced by roughly four months on average, a significant amount of time when you look at those RFPs and RFQs. Officials acknowledged continuing delays tied to agencies and vendor factors, but said that efforts to improve communication, enhance some level of the contract language, and collaborate earlier in project planning were producing some measurable efficiency gains across state government. The procurement strategy aims to balance agency flexibility with statewide safeguards to protect infrastructure, data, and taxpayer funds, all while promoting transparency and collaboration. Lawmakers closed the session after hearing updates across various technological domains that officials said increasingly affect nearly all aspects of government and economic activity. The committee's co-chairs said that they will continue to monitor some of the innovation that is taking place as agencies refine protocols and implementation plans ahead of the upcoming legislative short session.
So just like we saw with some other things, this is likely to be maybe another topic of discussion in the short session. We'll keep an eye on that as lawmakers are expected to be back in Raleigh in the next couple of months. It's 537. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk 107.9 FM. WBT, I'm Nick Craig.
A good Wednesday morning to you. The importance of private property rights is a major topic of discussion over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com, and our parent organization, the John Locke Foundation. We're tracking some news this morning out of the North Carolina General Assembly. It was actually buried, this news, in the last October's mini-budget that was passed by lawmakers ahead of the new year. And it could have some impacts as it relates to private property rights for some 3,600 landowners across the state of North Carolina.
To walk us through some of these details on what is a very interesting story this morning, Teresa Opeka, CarolinaJournal.com joins us on the news hour. Teresa, there's a lot going on here before we can get to this discussion. Can you give us some of the background? Sure. Thanks so much for having me, Nick.
So, yeah, it's a little bit of a complicated story. We'll try to give you the Cliff Notes version. We first reported on this last April. There was a dispute between Twin Rivers Property Owners Association in Fosco, that's outside of Boone, and the state's Wildlife Resources Commission over ownership rights of submerged lands or stream beds underlying two shallow rocky mountain streams that flow through Twin Rivers, which consist of waterways from the Watauga River and Boone Fork. Basically what happened is there were some um Young fishermen who were trying to go fishing in this area, which had signs clearly marked, you know, don't trespass, private property.
And they said, well, they could do what they wanted to do because it's. You know, it's not going to violate the North Carolina Public Trust Doctrine, which states that if a stream is navigable, then water and underlying stream bottoms can be entered by any member of the public at any time.
So they basically said we do what we want to do, never mind if it says it's private property.
So the association took this all the way to different courts, back and forth, Watauga County court. They, and actually, the main thing, the main focus of this before we go through all the rest of this, is that it was rights that fall under registered property program. Which was initiated in the state-by-state law, Article 21A of Chapter 113.
So, under the RPP, landowners who control fishing rights could register their property with the wildlife. Resource Commission and posted against unauthorized fishing, hunting, but basically, it's you know, so you no one can trespass.
So they filed that lawsuit in the Office of Administrative Hearings, then it went to Watauka County Superior Court.
So that Is where we left it at that point. Fast forward to October. What you mentioned is that the General Assembly passed that mini budget, Senate Bill 449, which basically had a lot of things to do with Hurricane Lean recovery for additional funding, other budgetary issues. But also in that mini budget, it stated that the registered property program was repealed. with the bill being signed into law.
So, Teresa, if I'm understanding kind of how this process was laid out, individuals that went through this registered property program through the Wildlife Resource Commission here in North Carolina could essentially, I guess, list their property on this public database and get and have access to some of those private rights, the trespassing signs and all of that stuff. But it appears that what lawmakers have essentially blown out that list now and it would no longer be relevant here in North Carolina? Yeah, that's correct.
So not only did Twin Rivers property owners lose their rights, but more than 3,600 landowners across the state with similar registrations did as well.
So, by them, you know, repealing that, anybody can go on other people's land and basically hunt or fish on the registered property, even though they registered it. They repealed it with that.
So, you know, the commission, the WRC went back to the original court and moved to dismiss the contested case because, hey, the statute's been repealed. You know, what's the point? And they actually agreed and they dismissed the case in December. Um so You know, basically, a spokesperson for the association told me it's hard to believe it's just a coincidence. And what also was told to me is that the WRC contacted Representative Ben Moss, who is the chair of the Wildlife Resources Committee, and requested the repeal.
They said Moss wanted to help the WRC and was aware of the lawsuit. We contacted Moss's office. He declined to comment. He said to contact WRC. They declined to comment.
And if there's currently there's Active litigation ongoing, but the spokesperson also said during the passage of the bill, specifically legislative leadership. House Speaker Dustin Hall was not aware of the ongoing lawsuit when that repeal was enacted. And there was no savings clause included to preserve existing registrations or pending cases. we also did not hear back from Hall's office either through call or from email.
So nobody truly wanted to comment on this.
So yes, basically, it's everything's null and void with one stroke of the pen.
So, Teresa, and I feel like I'm asking another clarifying question, but I will anyway.
So, if you own a private piece of property and you have what would fall under the definition of something that would be considered navigable, the water is sufficient enough that what you could sufficiently navigate on that, you now, anybody presumably could fish on that land? That is correct. But it all depends on what you call navigable. Like the original argument here was where these streams are, they're maybe a couple of inches deep. If you get a hurricane or really flooding rain, then possibly, yes, you're going to have more navigable water.
Someone can actually kayak down these properties. That was originally mentioned, but that is its extreme rarity.
So, this is for any little stream bed. You know, you're talking maybe a few inches here or there. You might catch a fish or whatever. But now that's deemed navigable, and anybody can go on anybody's property, even though it was registered and enacted in state law. But that's now since been repealed.
And, you know, the only time I've ever heard this discussion over navigable streams and waterways, Teresa, is always with the federal government. There's a lot of protections on that stuff federally. When we talk about, you know, reimbursements for fundings and things like that, that is one of the clarifying factors that the state uses. Do we know, or the federal government uses, excuse me, do we know who is the official definer of what is navigable and what is not? Uh You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving.
You still got it. But your immune system, it weakens as you age. That's where vaccines come in. They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need.
Book in minutes at vaxassist.com. Sponsored by Pfizer. That is a very good question, and I don't have an answer to that. Yeah, I mean, you would think that the state legislature at one point set up the definition, right, in the Constitution, how it's written. We have some screenshots on this program and what the laws were, but as far as who defines what's navigable, I'm not quite sure about that.
That is a very good question.
Well, we know lawmakers are set to be back in a couple of months in Raleigh.
So we've got this article over on our website, CarolinaJournal.com. And as you noted, Therese, it's a very kind of unique case. There was only 3,600 people registered with this. I say only, but for all the private property across North Carolina, I guess if there's enough pushback and backlash to this, I guess maybe we'll see lawmakers act in this short session and maybe change some of the state laws again if there's enough blowback. Yeah, I would imagine so.
I mean, like you say, it's 3,600. I mean, it's not like 50,000, but it's still a substantial amount of people that have been affected by this.
So we'll have to see what's going to go on as far as this association. Right now, they've kind of made peace with that, not going any further. They're looking into other options that they might have, maybe forming other alliances that can pool resources together. But it will be interesting to see what happens in the short session with the General Assembly. We will keep a very close eye on it.
We appreciate the information. This morning, Teresa Opeka joins us on the Carolina Journal News Hour. The John Locke Foundation's Carolina Liberty Conference brings together policymakers, scholars, community leaders, and citizens from across the state of North Carolina to explore the challenges and opportunities of advancing freedom in today's political and cultural climate. Our 2026 Carolina Liberty Conference is happening February the 27th and 28th at the Starview Hotel in Raleigh. This year, we'll be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with amazing guest speakers like Lord Daniel Hannon, Chief Justice Paul Newby, State Auditor Dave Bollock, and more.
Get your tickets today for the 2026 Carolina Liberty Conference at johnlocke.org. That's j-o-h-n-l-o-c-k-e.org, February the 27th and 28th in Raleigh. It's now 5:53. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, Charlotte's FM News Talk, 107.9 FM, WBT, in some other state. Statewide news this morning, Western North Carolina's long road to recovery following Hurricane Helene is getting a significant financial and operational boost due to a new partnership between federal and state agencies.
The United States Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, as well as the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, have finalized a $290 million called Good Neighbor Agreement. It is aimed at accelerating restoration efforts in two national forests in North Carolina. Officials say that this agreement marks the largest of its kind in Forest Service history, with the deal enabling the state-level Wildlife Commission to take a leading role in comprehensive recovery projects over the next decade. All of that in hopes of bypassing some of the bureaucratic hurdles that can slow federal land management. According to the Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, he said in a statement, helping communities recover from Helene has been a top priority of the Forest Service since the storm tore through the Southeast more than a year ago.
North Carolina's national forests are an economic powerhouse, bringing billions of dollars into local economies through world-class outdoor recreation. Restoring access means restoring both livelihoods and family moments that make these forests so meaningful. Hurricane Helene left in its wake nearly $60 billion worth of damages, including tens of thousands of acres of blown-down timber and severely damaged wildlife habitats. Beyond the immediate destruction, the debris field created an unprecedented fuel load for potential wildfires, a risk that this agreement specifically targets, and I'll note. We are coming up pretty soon to our first of two wildfire seasons of the year in North Carolina.
Under the terms of the deal, the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission will tackle storm debris removal, road and recreation area repairs, invasive species management and watershed restoration. The Good Neighbor Authority, which was first approved by Congress all the way back in 2001, was recently expanded back in 2018 part of the Farm Bill, and it allows the Forest Service to partner with non-federal entities to manage forest lands. Officials say that this specific agreement leverages state-based expertise to reduce overall costs and create jobs in impacted communities. Kyle Briggs, who is the executive director of the Wildlife Resource Commission, emphasized the ecological stake of recovering of this recovery, saying the impacts from Haleen were sudden and created immense devastation across western North Carolina, including severe impacts to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and their habitats. Restoring these species and habitats is essential to maintaining a functional ecosystem, reducing wildfire risks, and providing quality recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts that Western North Carolina is known for attracting.
The partnership builds on decades of cooperation between the two agencies. And with that, while both of the national parks here in North Carolina have reopened to the public since the storm and have been reopened now for quite some time, officials note that there is still substantial work that remains to fully repair the region's trail networks, watersheds, and back roads. When we talk about some of the impacts and devastations left behind from Hurricane Helene, obviously we think of the private property damage, the towns, and the businesses. And with this, the National Forest Service and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission have penned this new $290 million deal that will allow state officials to really take the lead and take the charge and hopefully indicate that this work gets done sooner rather than later. That's going to do it for a Wednesday edition of the Carolina Journal News Hour.
WBT News is next, followed by Good Morning BT. Early voting starts tomorrow. We'll bring you all the details coming up tomorrow morning, right here, 5 to 6 on the Carolina Journal News Hour. You're still grooving, still connecting, still loving, still turning up, still thriving. You still got it.
But your immune system, it weakens as you age. That's where vaccines come in. They help train and strengthen your immune response to fight off respiratory illnesses like flu, pneumococcal pneumonia, RSV, or COVID-19. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which vaccines you need. Book in minutes at vaxassist.com.
Sponsored by Pfizer. Mm-hmm.
